Soccer: All Whites block out injury threat

All Whites defender Tony Lochhead is expecting to face a quick and skilful Chile side in Nelspruit tonight. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Ivan Vicelich called it a "friendly, friendly, friendly". He was saying in his roundabout way that it was virtually meaningless.

Coach Ricki Herbert uttered much the same thing. He wanted the game played at a training pitch behind closed doors and won't read anything into the result. He has seen enough in the three warm-up games to date that it almost sounded like he doesn't really want to play Chile in Nelspruit tonight (NZT).

In many respects, there are probably a number who would prefer they weren't.

They would never say it but with the World Cup just around the corner and an injury curse seemingly in operation - Portugal winger Nani was the latest player invalided out of the tournament - no All White wants to be the next one to miss the Greatest Show on Earth.

World Cups don't come along every four years for New Zealand. The last one was 28 years ago.

"If you start thinking about trying not to get injured, that's when you get injured," All Whites defender Tony Lochhead said. "You have to concentrate on the game.

"We will just be trying to improve on the performances we have produced so far. We have been working to make sure everyone is on the same page. We haven't put together a full 90 minutes yet. There's been a good half here, a good half there. We need to make sure we are compact and keep our shape."

It will be an impossibility in the match against Chile.

Herbert has promised all 23 players are likely to see some game time at some stage and that he will drag his key players from the field sooner rather than later to minimise the chance of them getting injured. The match will be played over three 30-minute periods with unlimited substitutes. For some, it will be the only game time they will get in South Africa.

It will inevitably lose its shape. That's what happens with players coming and going as readily as planes into the OR Tambo airport close to where the All Whites are staying.

Chile are a very good side, finishing just one point behind Brazil to qualify second from South America and have a chance to emerge from a group also containing Spain, Switzerland and Honduras.

It is their first time at a World Cup since 1998 but they are an attacking side and striker Humberto Suazo scored 10 goals in qualifying.

New Zealand sides also traditionally struggle against South American opposition who are both quick and skilful and Lochhead experienced that first-hand in 2006 when they were beaten by Chile 4-1 and 1-0.

"We have definitely struggled with [South American teams] in the past," he said. "We have had a few trips to South America and they didn't come out too well.

"But I think it's all different now. Everyone is pushing everyone out there for positions. We lost the last game 3-1 but in the previous games we have showed what we can do and it's getting better and better. We are a much better side now."

It is quickly dawning on Lochhead that the World Cup has arrived. It's a matter of days now, not weeks or months.

Everywhere the team goes - and it's not often because they are largely restricted to their hotel and training ground - the team bus is flanked by South Africans wanting to get a glimpse of them.

Team flags fly everywhere and every second billboard has a footballer endorsing something.

"Everyone is waving to you on the street," Lochhead said. "It's definitely a case of we are here and ready to go."

Once they get the Chile game out of the way, that is.